


Polygon

by smeardoes



Series: Gen:8 [1]
Category: Sense8 (TV), gen:LOCK (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, M/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-11-18 09:54:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18118436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smeardoes/pseuds/smeardoes
Summary: Doctor Rufus Weller has done it - he's brought a new cluster into the world, on the verge of war and change. Five radically different people must now learn to live together, in a way no one knew was possible. Can they defeat the union with their new found connection?





	1. Belgrade

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! A lot of work and research is going into this fic, so I hope you enjoy! For those unfamiliar with either of these series:
> 
> Sense8 is about people with advanced telepathic connections, many living in secret.  
> Gen:lock is about people syncing their minds to robots, fighting a raging war.
> 
> Short and sweet! I love the connection aspects both shows have and thought a crossover/AU would be perfect! Which would you call his? The original Sense8 cluster will be making a cameo later! 
> 
> I will be updating with more tags as I upload chapters, I want to avoid spoilers, at least this early! But in case it's not your thing: Due to the nature of shared consciousness and war, this fic will contain some smut and potentially triggering content. I will tag as needed.
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated!! <3

Loud. Thumping. The music is blasting, just like the war machines at the border. It’s all so loud, and you cannot hear yourself think. That is the point after all. To lose yourself in the ecstasy of the club. Bright neon lights strobe overhead, and you move to the rhythm. The girl beside you is pressing close, you can feel someone’s breath on your neck. You close your eyes, leaning back into the man.  
   Heavy guitar plays along to the beat of the rave music, the distorted chugging and drums taking over the synth line. You open your eyes, you are at a concert now. You stop dancing, people are bumping into you as you rub your eyes. Dazed, you look back to the stage - wait, you’re on stage?! The crowd’s headbanging, and the music has totally faded into a jarring swath of blast beats and deep bass. The guitar stops - you look down, your hands refusing to move.  
   Frozen, you stare into the crowd. Stare over the innocent civilians as they run for cover, and you do your best to fly high enough as not to hit them. The Union soldiers are getting stronger every day. There is a crash, your body goes limp.  
        The only thing you can move are your fingers. Tap - tap. Tap… Tap, tap, tap on the keyboard as you pick back up your work. You were hacking into the Union database, looking for anything that you could post online to let everyone know their next move. But whatever that blackout was? It lasted too long! The firewalls detected you, and your fingers can’t keep up. You panic, jumping up then yanking the computer plugs out of the wall, even the ethernet cable, your phone charger.  
   Everything is going dark again. You try to hide after seeing the enemy pilot crash close by. The troops are heading into the city, advancing out into the intersections and holding their ground. You duck into the alleyway, your mind racing. Nothing makes sense, as you stagger towards the dark. 

 

“Professor?” You hear in the distance. “Professor… Rufus? Rufus!”   
   Taking off the helmet, Rufus breathes heavily, speechless for a moment. His partner looks over him for a moment, concerned, but knows not to push much more. She resolves to put a hand on his shoulder. “Well, Rufus?”  
   “I saw them.” He says with a wide smile, his eyes glassy from everything he’d witnessed. “There was so much happening I - I’m afraid I couldn’t make out a few of them.”  
   “And?”  
   “A Union soldier. One of them was a Union soldier, the other was a pilot. I think they were fighting each other.”  
   “Really?! What are the chances of that!”  
   “I know - extraordinary, isn’t it Fatima?” The doctor sits up, the helmet rolling in his hands. “The rest were so chaotic, I couldn’t quite make them out. There was a keyboard…  A guitar.”  
   Fatima places a hand over Weller’s. She’s ecstatic but can’t help to worry about the rest of them. “What do you think of the others?”  
   Doctor Weller waits for a long moment. “I’m not sure. I need to wait a little longer befo-” The alarm sounds. Weller looks around annoyed, and Fatima gasps, disappearing from is side.  
   She is on the other side of the country, surrounded by desert and open sky. “It’s time! Get Weller out of there!”   
   “I knew this would happen!” Raquel admonishes over the line. “Did you think to double check security?!”  
   “Of course I did.” Rufus says from the other line, his headset picking up the invading forces.   
   “You should have left hours ago!” The only constructive thing Raquel can do until Rufus reaches the anvil, it seems.  
   “This was a breakthrough!” He assures, running to the hanger, the Union’s forces minutes away from tearing into the hold doors. “Fatima! Did you get the location of the crash, was it close?”  
   “Yes, there was an attack in New York. One of ours went down, he is being retrieved as the Vanguard pushes back.” Fatima appears next to Weller, running by his side. He enters the bird, and she punches in the codes he needs to take off. The screen glows red, and he barely has time to situate as it takes off immediately. Slow to breach the air, as Union troops siphon into the hanger through the only entry, shooting at the metal hull.   
   “Oh! Ah, jeez!” Rufus lands on his butt as the bird jerks with each shot. It picks up speed, and the shots fade. “Wasn’t that something.” His head falls back into the seat behind him, the helmet cradled in his hands. Good thing Raquel had the foresight to have Caliban pack up the important work. Rufus closes his eyes.  
   “Jha, were is our pilot?” He stands next to Fatima in the base, and she gives a sigh of relief. “You need to stop doing that.” She pulls up a few holo-screens, one splicing right through Weller, as if he to is a hologram. “I have reached out to the Eastern Polity - the pilot is in critical condition, but they are doing what they can.”  
   “Oh, my…” Weller’s hand comes to his mouth, as pictures of the pilot flash on screen. Blurry, but a clear lack of limbs. “Perhaps my timing is worse than ever before.”  
   “You couldn’t have known.” Fatima assures him, a hand on his. “Get here safe. You can meet him soon.”  
   Nodding, Weller finds himself back in the ship. Breathing deep, he hugs the helmet.

 

“What was that?!” Cammie’s hands brush through her hair, “I cannae believe this! What was that?!” All of her electronics are unplugged, and she dares not to call any of her friends. “Oh fuck, oh fuck!” She paces back and forth, her short steps into long strides and soon a running motion. A small robot has a hard time to keep up with her, and it opts to hop onto her leg. The rabbit climbs up to her shoulder, concerned. “Oh, Trixx! What’re were going to do?! That was the most colossal fuck up ‘a my entire career!” She could only hope the hundreds of proxies she went through to hack into the Union database held up.  
   The rabbit makes a whirring sound, nuzzling into Cammie. “Oh, my god.” She finally slows down, plopping onto the bed behind her. "We’re going… to be okay!” She glances over to her companion. “Yeah! We’ll be alright, won’t we? We just have to lay low.” That means no posting to the forums about her findings. It was despite the Polity’s best efforts, that none of them could quite hack like the young lady. “Oh, that’s a terrible idea! What are they going to do without me, Trixx?!” She falls back onto her bed, arms flopped out beside her. Trixx rolls from her shoulder, gently knocking into the wall.

 

“<<Hey! What the hell was that Kazu?>>”  
   “<<Huh?>>”  
   “<<The lag out! The way you just stood there for like, 3 bars! That’s so unlike you dude, you shred like it’s nobody's business, but that drinking is going right to your damn head.>>”  
   “<<Shut up. My hands were cramping.>>”   
   “<<Since when was that a thing?>>” His bandmate was relentless, pissed about the ending of the show. That was the largest venue they’ve played yet, but now what? The rest of the act went on without a hitch, but this was going to look real bad, especially if a fan was recording.   
   “<<Hey! Shut up! I told you, stop bothering me.>>” Kazu folded his arms, sitting back into the chair.   
   “<<Whatever. You have some luck tonight anyway.>>”  
   Luck? Kazu didn’t understand until he looked to the doorway. Two girls stood, giggling to one another. One gasps when she notices Kazu looking her way. “<<Hi!>>” She waves and his bandmate nods for them to come in before leaving.  
   Oh. Luck.“<<What’s up,” he sits up “did you two enjoy the show?>>”  He smiles giving the guitar a strum.   
   “<<Yeah- yes we did!>>” The girls trip over each other’s words in excitement and Kazu laughs.   
   “<<Thank you, girls.>>” He enjoyed the attention on stage, but to have them back here was a little exhausting.   
   “<<Are you okay now? I noticed what happened earlier.>>” One asks, “<<You still seem a little out of it.>>” The other girl pulls her shirt down at the collar, showing off some cleavage. “<<Could I get an autograph? Maybe it’d help you feel better, too!>>” They both giggle, the other getting out her phone to record.  
   How childish, he thinks. “<<No.>>”   
   “<<No? What do you mean, ‘no’?>>”   
   “<<Put your breasts - and phone away. The show is over.>>” He rolls his eyes, standing up to offer the girl’s a trip to the door,  
   “<<Oh, no! That’s so lame! I didn’t know you were a grandpa!>>”  
   “<<Next time. I don’t feel well.>>” He scoffs, tapping them both on the bum as they skitter out, and he closes the door. Maybe he’d be more interested if they didn’t look so young? Kazu turns back to take a look in the mirror but sees someone is still behind him - a man with dark skin. “<<I’m not taking any more guests.>>” He tries to wave the other off, his palms resting on the desk. With no response, he looks into the reflection closely - “<<Wha?!>>” There are no legs, a missing arm - intestines spilled out like udon from the man’s torso.  
   Kazu holds his hand over his mouth, gagging as his eyes dart around, looking behind him where the man should have been, but there was no one. He looks back at the mirror - nothing. Maybe he really was drinking too much.

Chase had lost it all. Everything below the belt, shaved off to save the rest of his body. It’s going to be a while before he can wake up, but Rufus had hope. It had taken a couple days to arrive at the Anvil, but he had done so safely. Julien Chase laid wrapped up before him, about to head into another major surgery before prolonged life support. There wasn’t much he could do until tracking down the others. He needed at least one of them to help - to use the helmet just as he did.

And there she laid. Yasamin rested in the dark, unable to move, barely able to see. Her helmet fogged over, and the alley smelled damp. She could make out the sound of wet footsteps, then several. A few voices hit her ears, unable to process the words. She was so tired, her armor so heavy. Even as her body was lifted by strangers and taken, she couldn’t do anything. “Hey - hey, where are you taking me.” No one answered, even if they could hear her. That’s when she saw it, from the clear edge of her visor, out from the corner of her eye. The Polity sigil.  
   She didn’t know what was in store for her, but could only resign herself to the fate the Masa had for her. Torture? Interrogation? 

A couple of days, still. Valentina woke up next to the man and woman from a few nights ago - had she really stayed at the couple's house for the whole weekend? She retired from the Eastern forces months ago but never thought her retirement would look quite like this. She rested into the sheets and gave a contented sigh. Absolutely nothing could go wrong, as the two ‘strangers’ rested in her arms, the woman nuzzling into her breast. She felt odd, as she looked down to her body.  
   No, no it wasn’t the people who’d treated her so well. It was something else. The guitar, the feeling of broad shoulders and sharp angles. She wanted to be herself again. Who was she then, on that stage?


	2. Valkyrie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More connections are being made as Val and Kazu figure out they are in fact, not dreaming. Vasamin, the ex-Union soldier, meets the hyper-paranoid Cammie. Has she been abducted by the Union for leaking their plans? What IS that beeping sound?

The beeping hasn’t stopped. Not since last week. Every time you go to lay down, it comes rushing into your ears as if underwater. A heartbeat. The metronome of it drives you crazy, and you toss and turn every night. Your bandmates have noticed, the couple you’ve been staying with have asked you to leave, and you’ve almost kicked your poor robot off the bed.   
   It’s starting to pulsate in your waking life.  
   As you dance in the club, it disrupts the beat of the music everyone else can hear. You’re not in sync with the crowd as you once were. It messes you up while playing, especially on stage. The lack of sleep and the jarring tone. You can hardly even game,  wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on hacking if the idea of being tracked didn’t genuinely scare the hell out of you.   
   Then there’s the shadowy man.  
   He’s beaten up, bruised. You don’t know why you keep seeing him, but he always floats in the periphery of your vision when the beeping is at its loudest. First he was gutted like a fish, his limbs gored and nasty. Strangely, he looks a little better each time he appears. His seems have been sown back up, the blood is disappearing, his skin has turned from a deep blue to a natural ochre hue. Do these dreams mean something, when you CAN dream? You’ve never been to Japan, never played a computer game, and have certainly never been to a club, nor held in a cell for days, and days. But the dreams keep you going. You don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve seen anything outside these walls, but the dreams give you something to hold onto.

“I’m going to ask you again. What is the Union’s next target?”  
   ”I told you! I don’t know!” Yasamin screams before the brutish officer grabs her by the scruff of her shirt.   
   ”You better get to knowing. The death toll is rising every day. I know scum like you couldn’t give a shit, but once we start taking drastic measures you’re going to wish you had.”  
   Yaz’ once long, beautiful hair is now cut above her ears, and she’d been given orange scrubs in place of her armor. She hadn’t remembered anything from the days prior to her blackout - just that she was trying to run away. Anything to leave the Union. “If I knew, I would have told you. There’s a reason I fell behind! I wanted to leave!” She holds the wrists of the man, seconds away from kicking him. Hadn’t thought of even hurting one of the officers yet. Wanted to show that she came in peace, but these bastards were making it very hard.   
   ”You were in the alley, passed out for days after the siege! If you really wanted to run, would you have been in such an obvious place? Anyone could have found you!”  
   ”Exactly! I passed out, trying to get away!” She held him tighter, almost felt the soles of her feet leave the ground.  
   ”Stop!” The man shoves her back as commanded in his headset, letting go so she falls into the chair behind her, the wall keeping her from tumbling back onto the floor. He paces the room, eyeing her as if wanting to do something - but he knew he couldn’t. He was demanded not to harm this one. Union scum… Disgusting. “We’re transferring Yasamin Madrani to the Anvil.” Why?! What could the Polity possibly use her for, other than ringing out for answers? Not that that was working, and he had to admit it… “Tell her she’ll be moved this afternoon.“  
   All this time, he held a stoic face. “Y’r being transferred. Behave yourself, or they’ll send ya back here.” The man follows his orders without further incident, stepping out of the cell for a moment. Yasamin is angry and confused but has eased into a sense of relief by the time a different guard returns.  
   ”Here, put these on.” It’s a woman. She hands Yaz a yellow uniform, a decent weight to it. A pair of boots set beside her as well. “You’ll want to be comfortable - you have a long trip ahead of you.  
   Now, a moment after everyone has gone, Yasamin finally falls back with everything in her arms. Was this nightmare finally over? Sure, she didn’t have to find out what “drastic measures” were, but didn’t feel much better about where they were going to send her next. Hopefully, they finally believed her.

“I have another one coming in.” Rufus claps his hands to get Raquel’s attention.   
   ”You’ve only been here for a few days, and already you think you run the place.” She sneers, hating how he goes over her head. That said, she does understand. A little. “Another one coming in? One of your sensates?”   
   ”Shhh, sh sh.” Doctor Weller holds a finger to his lips. “A Union soldier is being delivered here tonight!” He excitedly whispers.  
   ”What did you just say?” She is furious, the tell in her eyes. How they flair when challenged. “Is that who you are transferring from the Masa, a  _ dangerous _  criminal?!”  
   ”Oh now, don’t be like that!” Rufus’ hands come up to defend himself - he did honestly fear her a bit.  
   ”Like what, Doctor? Skeptical of every bullheaded decision you’ve made since arriving?”   
   ”Now that just isn’t fair! I’ve had to do everything for a reason. I’ve  _ seen  _ this young lady - beyond the threshold!”  
   Raquel tried so hard to understand. She really did. Saw the potential for all this research, but it had just sounded familiar. Like a hippie had taken DMT for the first time, spilling jargon about how he’d been so connected with everything now. “I am trying with you, Doctor. This research has been withheld from me since it’s inception - we protect the border. That is it. If everything you’re telling me is true, this could mean huge ramifications for the tide of the war. I need you to understand that.”  
   ”Believe me, I do-”  
   ”I need you to see it from the Polity’s perspective. No one outside of RTASA has had clearance for any of this. You need to be smarter.”   
   ”If you’d stop interrupting me, you’d know by now that I am doing my best, Raquel.” His tone is serious, the smile fading from his face for the first time since he’s arrived. “Secrets will be harder to keep, yes - but that’s the beauty of it. Connected humanity. One that can reach out, and understand one another.” Instead of this war - the mess the world was in. WWIII was around the corner, and the world was running out of options. “We need to learn to trust one another.”  
   Silent, Raquel considers his words. She knows he’s right, but it goes against everything she held herself by. Self-sufficiency, having a place in the chain of command, keeping criminals in cells. “Fine.” A deep breath as she nods, defeated but proud. “I will do my best to help you, Weller. But the moment this goes wrong - I will not be hesitant to pull the plug.” She looks to the tank Chase now floated in - wires, electrodes, tubes…  
   ”Thank you.” His smile returns, gentle and tired.

Belgrade was losing its charm. Valentina wasn’t sure if it’d been all the partying, the drugs, the alcohol. The beeping that’d been following her was starting to dissipate. Despite that, she still felt tired. Alone, missing the arms that’d held her so close. She couldn’t stay at that couple’s house forever, sure, but the club scene was full of people looking for action, excitement. She’d had enough in her lifetime. Just wanted to feel some kind of community with the lives she’d spent all those years saving.   
   She was staying at a hostel, just outside of the city. Quiet in these parts, something she’d needed after the month of clubbing. Then why, in the middle of the night, was she hearing the neighbors fight?   
   Val was one to mind her own business. But solitude and propriety in a place where other people boarded were also of some importance to her. What better way to communicate than by banging on the wall? “Hey!” She started in English. “Please be quiet, you are not the only ones here!” Nothing. The arguing lasted for another five minutes before she’d had enough to just walk out the door. Valentina threw her long coat on, and headed onto the chilly stoop. She was knocking loud on the door, hard to get their attention over the noise. “It’s your neighbor! Can you keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep!” After being ignored for another minute, Valentina was on the last straw. The beeping, the yelling, the loneliness - boom! She shoulder checked the door, “I fought for your asses, the least you could do is…!” She stumbled in as the cheap door buckled. The room was totally barren. No lights, not a peep. She didn’t understand.

That’s when Kazu looked behind him in surprise, the loud noise startling him. Nothing. His bandmate snapped to get his attention, “<<See! You cannot even pay attention!>>” The buff drummer crossed his arms, shaking the hair out of his face. “<<How are we going to tour if you keep fucking up the whole show with this lazy energy.>>”  
   ”<<I’m sorry you can’t sleep, but all of us still need to make some money. I quit my job for this, what did you do?”  
   ”<<...>>” Kazu stood there, put right in his place. His fists balled, but he knew he couldn’t say anything about such a true point. “<<Then I will leave.>>” He scoffs, “<<You’re all too uptight anyway. There’s no reason to stay if it isn’t enjoyable.>>”   
   ”<<Not everything can be sunshine and rainbows man! You should know this!>>”  
   He did. Kazu did know this, and that is exactly why he just wanted to have a good fucking time. This was supposed to be fun, a way to see the world in a way he hadn’t since dropping out of culinary school. Too much debt, too stuffy… Too much like this. He didn’t want to admit how often he’d messed up, even before this week. “<<Enjoy the spotlight.>>” He puts up his hands, showing he’s put in the towel. Everyone else seems to want to argue more, but that is the closest any of them are going to get to a clean conclusion. “<<I wish you the best.>>” Really, he did. His tone didn’t show it much thought, as he grabbed his guitar and amp, making his way into his room in the motel. He wanted to ruminate before packing, it would be a few days before he could make his way back home.  
   Kazu had taken his time getting everything together, contemplating a nap before leaving. It’s not like they'd find a guitarist the hour after effectively firing him. He takes off his shirt, the sweat from the tense day soaked into his threads. He thinks about cleaning up before leaving, at least some kind of self-care to make himself feel better. This was going to  be hard. Why did things always have to fall through?  
   Black cotton slid off his broad shoulders, and he felt soft hands slide up his back to squeeze them. “<<What?!>>” He whips his head back, nothing. Hands on his chest, warm and caressing his sides. He is startled, to say the least. Was he really so tired, that hallucinations set in? His eyes met a deep violet pair, looking over him with curiosity.

Valentina had lost it. Was the man before her real? She’d looked away for one moment, then turned back to see him in her mirror. She was alarmed at first, but with everything that's been going on? She was going to take it as a fever dream and run with it.  
   ”<<How did you get in here?>>” He spoke Japanese, and yet Valentina could comprehend it. Not right away, but as if there were a little bit of cognitive lag. Like… an audio dub that didn’t quite match up.  
   ”What do you mean? You are in my room.”   
   Kazu froze. He looked around - He could have sworn that a moment ago, he had been in his dumpy little motel room, getting ready to shower. Everything still looked similar, but… Different. Like someone had taken his room, and switched what country it was in. As he thought about it, he heard the beeping again, faint and distant. He pressed his eyes closed, running a hand through his messy hair. “<<What is happening…>>”  
   ”Do you hear it to,” Val stopped feeling up the dream stranger, “the beeping?”  
   Kazu looks to Valentina - where he had seen a half-naked woman, now had been a half naked … man? Okay. Who drugged his drink, what kind of trip was this?  
   ”You understand me, yes?” She asked again, and Kazu shook his head. Not because he didn’t understand the person, but because they had shifted back to a female figure as soon as he blinked. What the hell was happening. “Oh, great.” She sighs, her head rolling back. A sexy dream man that she can’t even talk to.  
   ”<<What are you?>>” Kazu asks, confused by the strangers form shifting. Valentina looks down, confused - she hadn’t noticed anything. “<<A woman, a man?>>” Of all the messed up things going on, this should be a mystery he can solve.  
   Val’s brow furrows, and she looks back up to Kazu. Her hands had been lightly rested on his hips, but move up to his jaw as she thinks. Strong, sharp angles. Fingers trail down to his shoulders - wide shoulders that Val remembered dreaming about. Not to caress, but to call her own. “I don’t know.” She looks into his eyes… Those eyes looked so familiar. Was this the same dream, the guitar player?  
   ”<<Val-Valentina?>>” Kazu asks, his eyes wide. Where did he hear this name? No, no he felt it in the back of his mind.  
   ”The rockstar.” She looked over his face, certain now she’d seen it before. What a vivid dream this was. She could swear she felt his hands on her shoulders, for real as they ran up the length of her arm, and over her hands that rested on his face. He held her hands to his face, eyes darting over her features frantically. “Do you remember me?” She asked, smiling.  
   ”<<No - I remember being you.>>” That was the only way he could put it. The way she felt in his hands, like the dream he had of dancing. “<<It is easier to make out without the loud music.>>”  
   There wasn’t anything Val could thing to do, other than to keep staring at the stranger. But they could do this forever - grope each other in confusion until an explanation arose. “Where are you from?” She asked, moving her hands down his jaw, and over his neck.  
   ”<<Shinjuku.>>” His hands hover over the other’s, weary of the proximity to his neck. If this really was a dream, could she hurt him? “<<Where are you?>>” He tilts his head slightly, hinting at the rest of the room. “<<This is not where I was staying.>>”  
   ”Serbia. Belgrade.” She strokes her thumbs over his thick neck, wishing that could be hers again. “The club circuit here is amazing.”  
   The dancing made sense - the dreams of after parties made sense, and he was growing uncomfortable. He knew that it wasn’t normal to dream of three strangers into the night. At least not for him. He’s reticent to say anything else.  
   ”You were the one playing guitar, who I’d been as!” Wait, did that even make sense? “I was you that night, wasn’t I?” With all the crazy things that happened while she was fighting the Union, Valentina didn’t think some kind of mind-bridge was beyond the realm of possibility.  
   Kazu was speechless at this point. It was going to take a little more to convince him that this wasn’t just an insomniac hallucination. Hearing sounds, seeing ghosts… But the same vivid dreams about dancing in clubs, and sex and drinking. How could his brain construct such a consistent illusion? “<<And I was you after a long day, about to ->>” He covers his mouth. Kazu wasn’t shy about these things, but couldn’t help to flush. And now, this intimate stranger was practically fit to choke him. Now that things are becoming more clear, he needed to settle down.  
   ”I can feel it.” Val said, her own cheeks tinted. She didn’t feel how he did though, more of an after taste of his emotions. The longer they were connected like this, the more she could feel his confusion, the more he felt her disbelief. Two minds, two bodies - were they linked somehow?   
   ”<<What were you doing with those people?>>”  
   ”Last weekend? The couple?” Her smile growing. “You’ve never going to know.”  
   Flashes of flesh and neon lights strobe in his mind. He does know, he knows way more than he should. Flashes of war, bloodshed started to take over the lascivious scene.   
   ”<<Hey, quit talking to yourself! We’re trying to sleep!>>” A knock came from outside Kazu’s door, and he was snapped out of the trance. It had grown dark out. Kazu starts to feel like one person again, and becomes painfully aware of the problem growing in his pants. He tosses his head back, giving a frustrated grunt, before hurriedly carrying on with the rest of his night.  
   Val stands there with her hands hovering in the air - just like that, the reverie ended. The connection severed.  She slowly turns her palms to look at her hands, mind racing.

After sitting in the dark cell for over a week now, Yasamin couldn't help but feel a little sick in the back of the truck. It looked just like the cell had, just smaller. Wherever they were taking her had to be in the middle of nowhere. Bumpy and sickening, she laid on the metal bench that lined the back wall.   
   ”Little sad now, aincha?” Came a voice.   
   ”Excuse me?” She looked up, only to see a little girl with a visor on.  
   ”We’re playin’ Ether! Shouldn’t you pick somethin’ a bit more fun to wear? We could be doin’ something fun, or playin’ a game!” The random chat function had really let her down this time.  
   ”What are you talking about - how did you get in here?” Yasamin stands up, her cuffs holding her hands back.  
   ”Same as you! I just phased right in!” Cammie laughs, before moving to take the cuffs off, “Here I’ll help you out.” She goes to collect them from the menu but finds that nothing has changed. “Eh?” She tries again. Reaching in front of her, she realizes that she can  **feel**  the cuffs. Cammie lifts the visor from her eyes, and nothing changes. Her VR stopped working, but it seemed like she’d been… transported some how. Just short of freaking out, Cammie freezes. “This isn’t a game is it?”  
   ”Of course not.” Yaz informs her, unsure what she means by ‘game’ and still isn’t sure how she got in hear between blinks. She was supposed to be the only one on this ride. “You’re on a Masa transport truck.” She states matter of factly, before plopping back down. Despite the confusion, she didn’t see this kid as a threat.   
   ”Wait - what?!” She looks around, in shock. Was this the Union? Did they really find her, and take her in minutes? What kind of freaky tech was this?! “Oh no, oh no no no no.” She shakes her head, looking around for Trixx. He’s nowhere to be found. “How did you do this?!”  
   ”I didn’t do anything!” She scoffs, “I’m a rat in a cage, just like you. They found me in the city, now I’m here.”  
   ”Found you?”  
   ”I passed out and my ‘troop’ left me behind.” Not the whole truth, but something to tell her.  
   ”What troop?”  
   More questions? “Union. Foot soldiers.”  
   Cammie’s eyes widened. The Union - the Union did find her. They found her and abducted her like in one of those old alien movies, and now she was going to have to pay for all those leaks and… A girl could faint from all this thinking. Were she a rabbit, she’d of had a heart attack by now.

And she did. Cameron woke up what must have been an hour or two later after passing out. She slid her VR off, a bunch of missed messages from her friends, a note in her private log sliding by. Wait - she slips the headset back on, checking the note. “Dream - Yasamin Madrani” is all it says. Was that the lady from the dream - maybe her headset somehow picked up a rogue signal? Whatever the case, it didn’t look like it was quite a time to put up her guns.


	3. Solid Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yasamin discovers there is more to herself than herself. Cammie copes with her visions. Rufus must find the others before the clock runs out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! sorry for the wait on this chapter. Been crazy with other things, like pets and my conventions schedule!
> 
> Chapter 4 is already in the works! I have high hopes that it will be the best thus far. Let me know what you think, or if theres anything youd like to see!

The hallucinations. Beeping, vertigo. This crazy old white man just made sense of it all. He stands before you, expecting you to believe all of the insane things he’s explained. You hate to admit it but… It’s the only thing you have right now. The little girl you saw however many days ago, and even the apparition that’s haunted your dreams. That gnarled mess of a human - he’s a real person. He’s right in front of you.   
   You stare at the suspended man, intense focus as everyone around her is silent. He is bruised and deeply damaged, likely due to one of your ex-comrades.  
   “So it was you that day?”  
   Yaz jumps in her skin, jerking to her side with fists raised. Weller raises his hands to defend himself, but lowers them when one of Chase’s stats changes.  
   “That day in New York, when I crashed. I knew I saw you.” Chase spoke to Yaz, softly. “Who would have thought we’d share a connection like this?”  
   Despite all the proof before her, Yasmine didn’t want to concede to a single bit of it. Though she’d wanted to leave the union, practically volunteered herself to this, she knew they must have taken her for a fool! “What kind of things have you been giving to me?!” She shouted at Weller, “How many drugs have you been slipping into my food?!” Hell, maybe this was some twisted Union PsyOp, to see how she’d betray them under pressure. She takes a step back, pissed and confused.  
   “No, no, this is nothing like that.” Weller tried to reason with her, “I am coming to you with the utmost sincerity.” He hopes his eyes can convey his intentions.  
   “I’m not blind!” It didn’t work. “-” Before she could continue, Chase had placed a hand on her shoulder, and she could feel it. What kind of hallucination could be felt? No, no, they must have drugged her with something powerful…  
   Then she felt it - a memory that was her own, but not quite. A plane crashing, troops scattering like insects from either side. Union, Polity, didn't matter. They were all afraid of death. All but two of them. Yasamin was ready to die, and Chase had been knocked out before his life could flash before his eyes.   
   What felt like an eternity lasted only a second. The connection ended when she gently brushed his hand away. Nothing more needed to be said.

That night, Cammie lied in bed tossing and turning. It’d been like this for several nights. The name haunted her: Yasamin Madrani. Sitting up in a cold sweat, she woke up with her mouth wide open, a scream impending but never coming. Trixx skittered from it’s charge port, and to Cammie’s side to comfort her. It takes a moment for the blonde to calm down, realizing that she’s in bed, not in an unplated truck on the way to nowhere.   
    “Oh boy, we need to figure this out, don’t we Trixx?” MacCloud had been too paranoid to even touch her computer. All she had to do was boot up, hack in, and look up  _ one  _ name. That’s it. If it that was simple, why did she fear for her life? I can do this, I’m not a little girl.” She told herself, slumping in her sheets. “Minutes. It’d only take a  _ second _ .” She Tried to reason with herself, shifting her legs over, her feet touching the floor.   
    Trixx didn’t like the sound of this. It made a chirping sound, ears back as it hopped into Cammie’s shoulder as she stood up.   
    It struck midnight as she sat at the desk, now piled with mail, papers, and doodles. She had to excavate her keyboard before sitting. Heavy breaths didn’t calm her as they should have, and though she wasn’t frozen in place, the teen didn’t know how to continue. But she’d gotten this far…  
   B oom! She just does it, tapping the button as quickly as possible. “Stand at the plug, Trixx.” Her robot friend nodded, hopping onto the floor to wrap its arms around the plug.  
    It was a race to the minute - that’s all she’d give herself. Cammie booted up her proxy before connecting back to the wifi, connecting over dozens of networks: 20. A special browser launched when the last connection was made: 30. The homepage flooded with her usual prompts, before she opened the command module, and typed away like a madman: 40. Several files began downloading to a digital cloud, far from her location. Photos and documents streamed into her lap, her eyes scanning every pixel: 55. 56. 57. Come on! It has to be here- 58. 59. THERE! Right the- 60. Trixx unplugged the computer at the specified time, and Cammie’s eyes were wide open. The image of Yasamin burned into her mind more and more with every blink. “She’s real. She’s real.”  
    Cammie fades back into her seat, didn’t know what to do with her limbs. Trixx hopped up to join her, nuzzling his heated cheeks into hers. Face pale, she felt cold to the touch before sliding from the chair, and onto her knees. Slowly, her forehead met the ground, her arms wrapped over her head as she began to breathe again. Shaky inhales, dizzying blood pressure.

“Are you alright?” Rufus asks Yaz, who sits in the dark, away from the others in the small dining hall.  
   She looks over to the scientist and isn’t sure how to take the question. “Of course not.” She looks back to the rest of the ants settling with their food. “Look, I believe you now. I really do. But why me? Couldn’t you have chosen another?”  
   “It isn’t that simple.” Rufus tries to reason with her, and deep down, she knows.  
   “I am not worthy of another chance.” She averts his gaze, her eyes falling to the side. As they continue to speak, she counts the water stains on the vending machine. “I’ve done horrible things.”  
   “And we’ve gotten to know you! Chase has said it himself - you’re a real asset to the program, and you just might be the most capable of change out of all of us.”  
   It sure doesn’t feel like it.  
   “It is despite everything that I know you will excel. Your mother and father would be so proud of you.”  
   Yaz sharpy glares at Dr. Weller, and he remains firm in his statement. She sighs, and her head rests against the wall. “You really don’t get it, do you. This is all… Too much. My parents raised a Judas, a coward.” How dare he? Thinking he would use her parents like some kind of plot device. “There are few things in the world that matter to me.”  
   “Why would you come as an ally, if you are so prepared for death?”  
   “I don’t know.”  
   “Think about it, Yasamin. Neither Chase nor I can answer that question for you. But when you are ready.” He nods to her in faith, a pat to her shoulder.  
   She does nothing and lets him leave without another word.

“I need a little longer.”  
    “A little longer?! We are pressed for time Doctor, you cannot be serious.”  
    “I assure you, I am.”  
    Raquel, despite the previous conversation, just can’t help herself. “I told you. A Union soldier couldn’t care less what happens! They are conditioned from a young age. It’ll take years before she’s ready to cooperate.  
    “She’s just had her reality fundamentally challenged, Marin. She isn’t going to adapt and reconstruct her understanding in a day!”  
    “Those are the results we will need to end this war.”  
    Weller pointed an index to her, before falling silent. Despite the fire burning in his eyes, she was right about something after all. He lowers his hand, taking a deep breath through his nose. “One more night. That’s all I’m asking for.”  
    “I have given you a lifetime's worth of extensions, Rufus.” Their old age echos and she gives a solemn nod. “What is one more?” Before Weller can give his deepest thanks she interrupts, “It is the last one I have.” And she ends the communication.  
    He looks where her face once was. Searching for some kind of answer, anything. Ahead touches his shoulder, reaching out for answers just like him. “We will make it, Rufus.” Fatima holds him from behind, “I know that together, there is nothing that we cannot do.” She kisses him on the cheek, “You should get some rest.”


End file.
